


.: Edna, Part One :.

by pemalites



Series: Edna [1]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: AOT2 Game, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Falling In Love, Forbidden Love, Love, Love/Hate, Psychological Trauma, Slow Burn, Tragic Romance, Wings of Freedom
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-09
Updated: 2020-04-09
Packaged: 2020-11-28 06:29:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 6,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20962016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pemalites/pseuds/pemalites
Summary: The Nameless Hero has a name, and it's Edna Murdock. After years of training and bonding with Reiner, she realizes that she has love in her heart for a monster and faces hard questions with few answers. "Edna, Part One" is tailored for anime-only fans of the series. The second part (season 3+) will be for those caught up on the manga.WARNING:Multiple spoilers for Seasons 1-2 and the entirety of the AOT2 game.





	1. A Grim Reminder

### Year 845: The Fall of Wall Maria

* * *

Dust and rubble flew by her, her breath catching in her throat. The unthinkable had happened. Wall Maria had been breached and titans were flooding in. The only world she’d ever known was shattering right before her eyes. 

She’d only looked back for a second, but that was long enough to make her stumble over in fear. Her parents rushed to her side, trying to help their daughter to rise to her feet.

_“Oh, I’m glad you’re safe!”_

_“Are you alright? We have to get out of here, quickly!”_

Edna’s mother took her hand and began to run, but a deafening sound caught the attention of both her parents. They turned around, and before she could do anything, her father shoved her out of the way and then…

The sound cut out. There was a ringing in her ears, and the sounds of people screaming suddenly sounded muffled. Edna looked on in horror at the spot where her parents had previously been, replaced with a piece of debris so large that it could’ve been a home. She numbly acknowledged a stranger tugging at her and forcing her to run to safety, staring back in horror as she ran.

A titan that almost looked like a statue barreled through the opening in wall Shiganshina, eyes like fire and breathing steam. It couldn’t have been possible, but she felt like that titan’s eyes locked with her own. If the stranger pulling her to safety hadn’t been so determined, she would have been frozen in place.

She felt herself reliving the memory of the Armored Titan over and over once on a boat to safety. She’d later relive it countless times after that. She drew her knees up and hugged them.

_“I’ll kill you. There won’t be one titan left in the world when I’m through with you.”_ A kid around the same age as herself promised, clutching at the rail of the boat and staring out after the titans pouring in. Edna found herself agreeing with the sentiment, one hand balling into a fist.


	2. Training Corps Initiation

### Year 847: 104th Training Corps Initiation

* * *

Two years later Edna began keeping a journal, logging her daily events. Inspired by that kid’s rage – Eren Yeager, his name was – she found a new purpose. She began training to become a member of the Survey Corps in the 104th squad. All of it was for revenge and justice for those fallen, her goal to take out the Armored Titan.

_“What do they call you?!”_ Keith Shadis demanded.

“Edna Murdock, sir!” Her response was immediate, a fist over her heart.

“Murdock, is it? Another good-for-nothing, pathetic-sounding name! What are you doing here, squirt?”

A moment’s hesitation. “I’ve come to take out the Armored Titan, sir!”

“Is that so? Setting your sights high, huh? Remember to mark your body somehow so it’s easier to identify your corpse.” He scoffed at her before carrying out his rite of passage to the others.


	3. Graduation

### Years 847-850: 104th Squad Training and Graduation

* * *

Edna moved swiftly through the forest after completing her ODM gear training with her fellow soldiers. Determined to take out one more titan dummy, she shot out a hook and pulled the release to zoom in for the kill. She’d been careless, though, and felt her stomach drop as she began to fall through the air.

Before she could descend too far, though, another cadet rushed to her side and saved her. He had a muscular build and short blonde hair and was accompanied by a tall and lanky brunette.

“Are you okay?” He asked, genuinely looking concerned. “Grab her! Haul her up.”

His companion came to her other side, helping to carry her to safety and setting her down carefully atop one of the tree branches.

“Geez, that was reckless. Way to lose position.” The blonde grumbled.

“…but everything worked out fine. Let’s head back.” They both turned and began zipping through the forest again, but not before the brunette wearily glanced back at her. It almost looked like he pitied her.

She later found the two again once things settled down, finding out that the blonde was named Reiner Braun and the brunette Bertolt Hoover. Reiner seemed frustrated and impatient with her, immediately waving her off when she thanked him. _Don’t make a fuss of things. We’re soldiers, it’s just what we do._

Reiner’s dismissive attitude continued throughout their training years, but Edna noticed that he curiously watched her from time to time. It was subtle, but she definitely noticed. His eyes would linger on her for a few seconds longer than was normal. Sometimes he’d brush his arm against hers during training. He seemed to show up unexpectedly from time to time, just to be around her.

After three years of strenuous training, Edna and her fellow cadets were officially becoming soldiers. During the graduation ceremony, everyone seemed to collectively hold their breaths. Shadis gave a curt nod before announcing names. It wasn’t much of a surprise to hear who landed in the top ten, but Edna couldn’t help but be crushed that she wasn’t in their ranks with Reiner.


	4. Another Grim Reminder

### Year 850: Trost District Breached

* * *

The Colossal Titan struck again, kicking a hole in the gate of Trost district, and in the chaos afterward several things happened. Edna killed her first titan with Christa, Conny, and Ymir. _One meter across, ten centimeters wide._ It wasn’t what she expected. She found that she had a special talent for it. Her amazement was short-lived, however.

Armin’s scream tearing through the air made her blood run cold.

They quickly joined up with Reiner’s team, Edna and her fellow soldiers regrouping atop a roof and consoling a desolate Armin once they found him. The news of what happened to the rest of the 104th squad took Edna’s breath away.

Things changed dramatically after hearing that Eren had been devoured. Reiner was far more protective of her now. When they made it to HQ to resupply, he rushed to her side to protect her when titans poked their heads through the wall. He should have been more concerned with his own life, but instead he’d thought of hers first when the bricks crumbled.

The titans stared hungrily at the cadets and something that resembled a smile crept onto their faces. The soldiers watched in shock as a large fist collided with the giants, and she felt Reiner’s hand pull at her own, his fingers entwining with hers. They both scrambled backwards in fright. Reiner helped her to her feet and they carefully peaked out the hole in the wall, looking on in shock at a rogue titan fighting other titans.

This couldn’t be possible.

Later, the rogue titan fell in combat, but not before taking out several of its own. Soon it was revealed to have been piloted by Eren, and while Mikasa sobbed with him in her arms, Reiner couldn’t help but fix his gaze on Edna.


	5. Camaraderie

Reiner was quick to take charge while Armin and Mikasa were focused on Eren, taking the lead and reminding the others that there were still titans about. They needed to eliminate a few abnormals that Eren, in his titan form, was unable to take out. There was no time to waste.

Fixing a steely gaze on Edna and gently grabbing her forearm, they both gave a curt nod to another. Edna teamed up in a small squad with Reiner and Bertolt. Annie lingered nearby with them, but she seemed to be going it alone.

The team made short work of the normal titans roaming about, but the two abnormals gave them some difficulty. Bertolt took out the limbs on the first abnormal and Edna swooped in for the nape, but narrowly missed being devoured by the second abnormal in the process. She fell, dislocating her right shoulder as she crashed to the ground. Her eyes flickered to Reiner.

“Annie, take out its left leg. Now.” Reiner demanded, knowing that she was close enough to hear him. Annie complied with slight hesitation.

Bertolt shot out his ODM gear to pull into the abnormal titan’s right leg at the same time that Annie got the left one. Reiner took out the nape as Edna grimaced at the pain in her shoulder, but she forced herself up to a standing position.

“Thanks, I…” Edna stammered, and without saying a word Reiner came over to her and hugged her tightly. 

Her shoulder protested but her heart melted.

“We need to get back to Eren. The whole point was to clear a way to safely get him back to the wall, not…” Annie gave a short cough, Bertolt hovering nearby and scanning the area for any lingering titans.

Reiner’s hug tightened before he abruptly pulled away, staring down at Edna with a rigid jawline.

“Right.” He said, reluctantly stepping away from her.


	6. Trial and Error

Eren was seized by the Garrison regiment once safely escorted back to the wall, the entire 104th squad sworn to secrecy about what happened. _A human turning into a titan…_ It seemed impossible, and yet they’d all seen it before their own eyes. For a few moments, at least, they could take a breather while Eren, Armin, and Mikasa were being interrogated. Edna nursed her shoulder while she could.

Reiner was at her side again as soon as he was able. A nervous Bertolt was talking in hushed tones with Annie nearby, darting worried glances over at them. Edna strained her ears but couldn’t make out any words.

“You need to be more careful.” Reiner said to her flatly, coming close enough to her to gently push a strand of hair behind her ear.

“Yes, I know.” She shuddered at his touch, pulling a healing salve from her pocket with her good arm. He stopped her before she could apply it to her skin.

“Let me help you.” Reiner and Edna sat down together and he insisted on putting her shoulder back into place. “Take off your jacket.”

He helped her out of her jacket and got her to a proper sitting position, gingerly handling her arm. When she was ready, he carefully pushed it back into place. She gritted her teeth as he did so, hearing the socket make a strange _clunk_ sound. It hurt like hell but focusing on the warm touch of Reiner’s hands was more than enough to distract her.

Edna thanked him, feeling dizzy due to the dull aches radiating from her shoulder. Before she could protest, he’d taken the healing salve from her, dipping two fingers into it. “Slide your sleeve down a little.” He told her, and despite the ongoing chaos around them all she felt flustered.

“I don’t think that’s necessary, but I appreciate the sentiment.” Edna felt her face flush, Reiner’s eyes intense.

“This is my fault. Soldiers take care of their own.” He insisted, and Edna let out a short, humorless laugh before complying.

She pushed down her sleeve just enough to allow him to rub the healing salve into her shoulder’s skin. He was gentle despite his rough hands and it felt oddly intimate. Edna shivered. When he was done, he pulled her sleeve back up and he was close enough that she could feel his breath on her skin.

Their eyes met and he handed her back the healing salve, looking like he had something to say. He restrained himself, however, helping Edna into her jacket. The herbs in the salve had a fast-acting cooling effect on her muscles so the help wasn’t necessary at this point, but she accepted it.

“Reiner.” Bertolt was now beside him, face looking resigned.

“Don’t.” He responded, still sitting beside Edna. _“We’re soldiers.”_

Bertolt and Annie both shook their heads and Edna was puzzled. The only thing that made sense to her was that they may be upset since this could be seen as fraternizing, but she sensed it was more than that. She didn’t know any of them too well, but the look of determination on Bertolt’s and Annie’s faces inclined her to believe something was seriously wrong here.


	7. Reclaiming Trost District

When Armin fixated a frightened crowd with a speech of Eren’s tactical value, Edna felt a familiar calloused hand in her own. The Garrison regiment was out for blood and frightened of a human that could turn into a titan, but Edna felt hope.

Edna was chilled when a cannon shot at Eren and his closest friends, staring in awe at his partial titan transformation deflecting the blow. There was an overwhelming amount of smoke and giant gristle and bones, but Eren, Mikasa, and Armin were safe inside the titan’s chest cavity.

Before a second cannon strike could be fired, Kitz was interrupted by Commander Pyxis. He turned the tide of the delicate situation and Commander Pyxis wasted no time in coordinating a mission with the intent of using Eren’s titan to plug the hole in the wall of Trost’s gate.

The speech Pyxis gave sent chills through Edna again, and she felt even more inspired to keep fighting…to protect her comrades, to protect the innocent, and to keep at her goal of taking out the Armored Titan.

They moved quickly. Everyone was commanded to clear out as many titans as they could before Eren could safely transform and do his part. Rather than being teamed up with Reiner, Bertolt, and Annie again, Edna was temporarily separated and linked up with Armin in an attempt to lure titans away from Eren. Before heading out, Edna reapplied some healing salve to her shoulder.

While helping eliminate titans and helping Sasha and Daz establish a base for supplies, Reiner wouldn’t leave Edna’s mind. She was fighting for even more than she was before. She had another reason to keep going…and it was him.

More focused than ever, Edna was swifter with her ODM gear and more efficient with her blades. She was better at conserving the gas in her tanks, too, and wasted no time in heading towards a red flare piercing the sky. Jean and company needed assistance this time. The cadets all seemed to be working more fluidly together, even when put in separate teams.

A blinding light and a thunderous noise nearby drew their attention, and Eren’s titan form appeared again. Edna nearly wept in joy at the idea of finally taking something back for humanity, but instead she silently wept when seeing another signal flare – mission failure.

Eren had lost control of his titan.

For now, all the cadets could focus on was eliminating the surrounding normals and abnormals surrounding Eren. Two distress signals were shot out, and Edna and her squad raced to help their fellow cadets immediately. Fittingly, it was Reiner and Bertolt in need of assistance.

It was about time she returned the favor and saved their lives. 

They were both more than happy to fight at her side again and Edna breathed a sigh of relief after being reunited with them and resupplied at a base quickly. They were a team again, that was all that mattered. Daz, Sasha, and Armin split off into their own group nearby to help the others.

Only then was it safe for them to head towards the smoke signal shot near Eren. It was as if he’d lost his mind – attacking friends and buildings and wreaking havoc. To make matters worse, he was drawing in more titans around him. It was chaos.

Edna heard Reiner scream her name in horror when she was grabbed by an abnormal that closed in, but before the worst could happen, Bertolt sliced its nape. She was shaking but had no time for her fear, using a restorative and getting back into the fight. Not-so-distant screams pierced the air as a few cadets fell to the titans.

After they managed, with difficulty, to eliminate the abnormals crowding them all Mikasa hooked her ODM gear into Eren’s shoulder and pulled in, trying to talk sense into him. It was a fruitless effort. Eren nearly punched the life out of Mikasa but instead crushed his own face with his fist, falling by the rock intended to plug up the Trost district.

Mikasa joined Edna’s group to use her strength in fending off titans while Armin attempted to snap some sense into Eren. _Did they ever stop? Was there ever an end to these monsters?_

When the nearest titans were dispatched, Armin successfully shocked some sense into Eren and got him back onto his feet. It was one hell of a pep talk that included stabbing into the far side of his titan’s nape, but it got Eren back to his normal self. Eren used his titan’s strength to lift the boulder and begin heading to the hole in the wall of Trost.

Edna felt goosebumps all over her flesh. The mission was back on – protect Eren at all costs.

More soldiers were lost while protecting Eren and Edna was separated at one point from Reiner and Bertolt. A Garrison soldier named Rico took up arms beside her in their place, everyone doing their best to work in unison to help guide Eren to the hole in the wall. As titans fell, Edna could almost feel the rage and determination coming off of Eren.

With a roar, Eren heaved the boulder into the wall and collapsed. The remaining soldiers were dumbfounded. This was their first true victory. Rico, the Garrison soldier, crumpled and wept for her fallen friends, but found the strength to fire a signal flare to tell the others…mission success.

They’d done it. They’d reclaimed Trost.

Humanity was finally turning the tide against the titans.


	8. Levi's Squad

There wasn’t time to rejoice in their victory yet.

Eren was pulled out of his titan’s nape by Armin, and two titans that had slipped by their notice began to close in on them. A soldier with a green cape dispatched them faster than anyone could blink and demanded that anybody with strength left come assist him.

“We can discuss things later. Right now, we have to kill the rest of the titans inside the wall.” The soldier stared at Edna directly, eyeing his surroundings. “You seem to be the only one left with fight in you, cadet. Help me out.”

Were those…the _wings of freedom_ on his cape? He had to be a part of the Scout Regiment. If Edna wasn’t mistaken, judging by the soldier’s hairstyle and the way he carried himself, it might even be humanity’s best soldier – Levi.

Edna complied, seeing more distress signals and helping out those that she could. _Where was Reiner?_ She hadn’t seen him since they’d last been separated but had no choice other than to put her worry for him at the back of her mind.

There were several titans left inside the walls of Trost, but at least no more were flooding in through the hole that had been plugged thanks to Eren. The soldier with the cape, later to be confirmed to be Captain Levi, was a tremendous help with helping Edna take care of the rest of the titans. The rest of Levi's squad was a great help, too.

Edna’s shoulder throbbed dully after the last titan she’d taken out, her muscles starting to wear out and the healing salve from earlier wearing off. Thankfully they were finished, and Trost was safe…safe and free from titans.

She received a great deal of praise from Levi’s squad once the remaining soldiers regrouped atop the wall. They all commended her on keeping her cool and for not succumbing to her fear, but Edna felt sheepish and unsure of how to feel about the compliments. She was just a soldier like them.

After the battle of Trost was tidied up, Eren was seized by the Military Police and taken to court. Edna was there with a few other familiar faces from the 104th squad, but she still saw no sign of Reiner or Bertolt or even Annie. Her heart clenched.

The Military Police and the Scout Regiment both wanted very different things for Eren…the Military Police wanted him executed and saw him as a threat, but the Scout Regiment wanted to use him and his titan form to retake humanity. There was a great deal of discourse before a decision was made, but not before an outburst from Eren and an outburst from Levi following afterwards.

Captain Levi beat Eren to a pulp, convincing the crowd of his value and that if the situation called for it that he wouldn’t hesitate to put him down. Erwin chimed in with a convincing speech afterwards, too. Dhalis Zachary, the man presiding over the court, made up his mind after that. Eren was to be placed into Levi squad’s care and executed if he was out of line.

The court adjourned and everyone outside of worried civilians and the Military Police felt like they could breathe again. Before Edna could consider protesting, she was assigned to assist with Levi’s squad and with helping keep Eren in check. That worked for her…she’d always found him to be inspirational as hell. Maybe they’d even become friends during the ordeal.


	9. I'll Be Your Soldier

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick age facts...with the year being 850, Reiner is currently 16 and Edna is 15. If and when any smut comes along it'll be once they're both 18. Birthdays for both characters are listed below and Reiner's can be fact-checked by checking the wiki.
> 
> **Reiner Braun**: August 1st, 833 (Leo)  
**Edna Murdock**: February 28th, 834 (Pisces)

Life began to return to normalcy after Eren’s trial. Everyone had at least a couple of days to recoup and regain their strength before embarking on more missions. Edna and the others were able to return to the barracks and were permitted to freely socialize among their peers. Soon, though, it would be back to business and Edna would be assisting Levi's squad. Edna fully intended to make the most of what time she had.

Before doing anything else, she took off in search of Reiner and the others once she was free to do so. Her gut wrenched at the thought of him possibly being a casualty of the battle of Trost when they’d been separated…but she didn’t have to dwell on those awful thoughts for long. She bumped into him and Bertolt in the main hall of the barracks.

“Reiner. You’re okay…” Edna stared up at him, feeling a bit weepy. She smiled at him and Bertolt. There was something different now about Reiner, though. He seemed off. There was a strange look in his eyes.

Bertolt scratched the back of his neck nervously and fidgeted, looking full of thought. Reiner wordlessly pulled Edna into another hug and seemed to snap out of his thoughts. His touch was strong and firm, and Edna felt a bit of tension release as she hugged him back.

“I should check on Annie, I’ll uh…I’ll catch up with you later.” Bertolt waved goodbye to them, taking off like a bat out of hell.

Edna was still in Reiner’s arms, feeling concerned as well as a little embarrassed. She was sure people were staring at the two of them. “You haven’t said anything. Are you really okay? What happened?”

“Marco is dead. He was eaten by a titan.” His voice was monotone, his grip tightening a bit on her. Edna stiffened and clutched the back of his jacket.

The news stung, even though Edna hadn’t gotten to know Marco too well. _Damn it._ Just another reason to keep fighting…so that lives lost like his weren’t in vain. Unsure of how to comfort Reiner, she forced herself to loosen up a bit and to pat his back soothingly. His back muscles unraveled at her touch.

“I’m sorry.” Edna began to pull away from him but was pulled right back into his embrace. Her heart fluttered.

“You should practice today’s hand-to-hand combat training with me. We can’t stay idle for too long…we…_I_ have to carry out our mission.” His eyes grew filmy and vague and he pulled apart from her quick as a wink.

_Mission? Didn’t they all have to carry out missions to retake humanity?_ Edna couldn’t help but to miss the feeling of being in his arms already. She nodded anyways and agreed to train, but not before taking a brief break to grab food rations and water. They had to keep their strength up in more ways than one.

It wasn’t much of a surprise that Reiner was at her side the whole time. In the food stores, he even thoughtfully grabbed a few things from higher shelves for her that she couldn’t reach due to her height. Their arms brushed another’s a few times, but both were silent. They left the food stores after grabbing basic rations and one filled waterskin.

“Let’s save time by eating at the training grounds. I need fresh air.” Edna suggested, already restless and feeling crowded from being indoors for too long.

“I’d prefer privacy.” Reiner countered, staring at his boots.

“Oh?” She couldn’t help but to blush.

He dithered, nervous. He readjusted the satchel of rations on his shoulder. “If that’s okay, yeah. There’s a place by the training grounds. I need to talk to you.”

Edna’s mouth gaped a little, but she nodded in agreement. He led her past the training grounds, further into the nearby forest. It was the very forest that Reiner had first saved her three years ago. She’d been reckless and unfocused, determined to kill one last titan dummy and she’d lost her grip with her ODM gear…and there he was at her side with Bertolt. At the time he hadn’t even known her, but he’d saved her life anyways.

“This place looks okay.” Edna said cautiously, looking around. It was eerie how quiet and peaceful it was here, far away from the clamor and rancor of other soldiers and civilians and far away from the titans.

“Will you sit with me?” Reiner asked her, sitting down against the trunk of a tree and getting himself comfortable.

“Of course. What’s going on?” She was puzzled but welcomed his advances. Edna sat next to him against the tree trunk, the tree being large enough for both of them to easily rest against it side by side. The fresh air and quiet was doing her good.

He didn’t answer for a while. They both ate in silence, chewing at dried meats and protein bars and swapping sips of water from the waterskin. They’d even managed to snag a few dried fruits to get their energy levels up. When both were done eating, they continued to swap sips of water and leaned against one another. Reiner placed an arm around her shoulders.

“I’m a warrior.” He finally stated.

“A warrior? What does that mean?”

“It’s…it’s not important right now.” Reiner turned to look at her, and his eyes looked mournful. “I care about you, Edna.”

Edna’s heart thumped wildly in her chest. “I care about you, too, Reiner.”

“Promise me you won’t die out there.” He pulled her into a hug again, resting his chin on the top of her head and pressing a chaste kiss into her hair.

“I promise.” Edna said with a shudder, moving in closer to Reiner’s embrace. She was all sorts of flustered, and terribly confused. She had thought for a while now that he’d liked her, but his behavior lately was strange, even for him.

They both relaxed a bit easier after Edna’s promise, readjusting to laying on the ground side by side. Reiner placed a hand in hers and the two enjoyed what time they could together, gazing at the clouds and rays of sun poking through the tree branches. Reiner’s heart yearned for her, but he was terribly torn.

“Will you ever tell me what you meant earlier? About being a warrior?”

Reiner tensed up a bit, his grip on her hand tightening a little. “Yeah, just…not today. I want to enjoy this.”

“This?” She pressed, wanting more answers.

“Spending time with you. You’re important to me.”

“You’re important to me, too.” Edna turned to face him, brushing off a few leaves dusting her clothes. “You’re one of my main motivations to keep fighting.”

His heart leapt. “I am?”

“Yes. I don’t know why, but I feel connected to you. I always have ever since you saved me that day three years ago.” She paused. “I’ve felt a bit more than that as of late, however. You’re…”

“What else are you fighting for?” He interrupted. “What was your reason for joining the training corps in the first place? You could have lived safely in the interior walls. You’d have never been in danger there.”

A flashback that she hadn’t suffered for a long time came forefront in her mind. The Armored Titan barreling through the wall of Shiganshina, that statuesque giant breathing steam with fiery eyes. Eyes that locked with her own on that fateful day that the walls had been breached…the day her life had been turned upside down. She’d lost her parents, her home, everything…

“I joined to take out the Armored Titan. He took everything from me. I intend to return the favor if I ever see that monster again.” Her lower lip trembled.

Reiner was silent for a long time. Instead of saying something, he finally broke the silence by letting out a shuddering sigh. He sounded…defeated. It didn’t make sense, and she cupped his jaw in her hand.

“Are you okay?”

He responded by gently grabbing the back of her head and pulling her into a kiss. It made her heart melt. It was a rough kiss and inexperienced, but neither of them had ever kissed anyone else before, so it’s not like that mattered. There was no tongue involved, just a desperate kiss filled with longing on both ends.

“I’m sorry…I’m so sorry, Edna.” He pulled apart just enough to speak to her. “We were just kids. We had no idea. _I_ had no idea…if I’d known…”

“What are you talking about?” She was confused again, more than ever.

Reiner looked more torn than she’d ever seen someone look before. He looked more stressed than Daz was when he’d seen his first titan. “I hope that you can forgive me one day. I really didn’t…I didn’t understand.”

“Hush. You’re talking nonsense. You’ve always been kind to me.” Edna gave him a soft kiss, lingering for far longer than their first one. So long that they both had to breathe through their noses a couple times on one another’s faces.

Reiner’s hands ran through Edna’s hair, her short locks a dark brown and soft to the touch. Edna felt compelled to touch his hair, too, short blonde tufts feeling heavenly between her fingers. They broke apart from their kiss again, Reiner admiring Edna’s dark green eyes and pale freckled face. He wanted to commit this memory to the confines of his brain, wanted to remember every detail of his Edna.

Edna was doing the same, committing to memory every detail of Reiner. From his head to his toes she soaked in every detail, getting lost in his hazel eyes. They reminded her of the very forest they were in.

“I’m fighting for you but I’ve always fought for something else, too.” Reiner told her. He readjusted to a sitting position and pulled her onto his lap, holding her and keeping enough distance between their faces so that he could speak freely. “I’m fighting for my home. That’s part of what you’re fighting for too, right?”

“Your home? I remember overhearing that your home had been overrun by titans, just like mine…do you plan to return one day and rebuild?” She paused. “To answer your question, no, I’m not fighting for my home. I’ve long given up on the idea of having a home to go back to. I’m fighting for you and fighting for all the lives lost. I’m motivated by vengeance and justice and…you.”

His jaw stiffened. “I’ve nothing to rebuild at my home. That’s all I can say for now about it.” _Maybe, just maybe, he could give her a home and bring her back with him. If he could get her to understand…_

“You’re confusing me again. Say what you mean, Reiner. I won’t judge you.” Edna kissed his cheek reassuringly, but before she could pull her face away from his he pressed a kiss to her lips again. It seemed more desperate and more full of longing than the past ones. Reiner was shaking.

“I’m not ready for you to hate me yet.”

“How could I possibly hate you?” Edna’s brows furrowed.

“Because I’m a rotten mess of a human being.”

It broke Edna’s heart to see him like this. His face was scrunched up in anguish and all she could do was offer small comforts and her growing love for him, but she had no idea that that very thing made him feel even worse.

“Don’t talk like that. You’ve risked your life for me and for others more times than I can count. Whatever you think you’ve done, it doesn’t matter. You would only be rotten if you didn’t feel sorry for it. You’re a hell of a soldier and one hell of a friend and…whatever you are to me, I’m not sure what this is – but you’re a good man, Reiner.” Edna told him reassuringly, meaning every last word.

Reiner was speechless and feeling self-pitiful. He pulled apart from her and stood, helping her up to her feet too. _You’re a hell of a soldier…_ There was a strange look in his eyes again, and his demeanor suddenly changed entirely.

“If that’s how you really feel, maybe we should tie the knot and get married after all this is over.” He smiled warmly at her and patted her back.

Edna was taken aback for more than one reason. It was like his personality switched entirely. She stared at the forest floor, blushing and brows furrowing in concern for him. “Maybe. We can only focus on surviving for now.”

“Let’s get to our hand-to-hand combat training, then. Soldiers like us need to be in our best shape.” All of the tension in him from earlier was gone, replaced by an aloof and cheerful attitude.

She agreed, gathering the waterskin in her arms and swapping the last few sips of it with him on their way back to the training grounds. His hot-and-cold behavior concerned her among other things that were going on with him, but she could worry about that later. After all, he had a point. They needed to train and focus on the missions ahead.


	10. Combat Training

“Shift your stance and loosen up. Fight me like you would any other person.” Reiner told her, face stern.

Edna gave a short sigh and adjusted her fighting stance, giving herself enough room to maneuver properly. Her fists were raised and poised, but she was full of doubt about the purpose of this exercise. It’s not like she’d ever get into a fistfight with a titan. Still, she did acknowledge that it would be useful to have these skills.

“If you insist. Fair or dirty fight?”

“Doesn’t matter. Aim to win.”

They circled each other, eyeing the other carefully for any sudden movements. A few others were actively working on hand-to-hand combat around them, and for a brief moment Edna stifled a laugh at seeing what Sasha and Conny were doing. They were goofing off and in exaggerated fighting poses, just like old times.

Her moment of distraction was her downfall, however. While she’d been distracted Reiner charged at her, grabbing her with both arms by the waist and tackling her to the ground. He stood over her with a smirk on his face and extended a hand to her to help her up, but instead of grabbing onto him for support, she grabbed his hand with all her strength and hauled him down with her.

Edna used the opportunity while she had it and got out from under him quickly, leaving him flustered and on his stomach in the dirt. She pinned his arms behind him and carefully avoided his legs in case he had the idea of kicking to release himself. To make it more difficult for him to get up, she sat on his back to steady her grip on his pinned arms.

“Looks like I win.” Edna smiled down at him.

“Not quite.”

Reiner locked his feet together and heaved himself to the side Edna wasn’t leaning on, causing her to lose her balance and let go of him. She fell off but had the sense to scramble back up to her feet when he did the same, both of them returning to a proper fighting stance.

They couldn’t help but to smile at one another as they continued their training, this time practicing fist blows and blocking. Reiner had an advantage with his brute strength, but Edna had agility on her side. She was an agile fighter, and actively getting better at dodging his attacks. Blocking wasn’t too easy for her, though, and she already felt bruises starting on her forearms.

“Don’t go easy on me. I know you’re holding out.” Edna wiped away some sweat from her forehead.

“I don’t want to be too rough on you. You could get hurt.”

She scoffed at that, scrunching her brows and trying to remember those strange fighting moves she’d seen Annie do during their trainee days. Edna didn’t have the same strength to maneuver like she did, but maybe she could try something else. Use Reiner’s bulk against him.

“I’ll be fine. Unless you want me to find another training partner?” She teased, readjusting her weight from foot to foot. “I need you to fight me like you’d fight anyone else, just like you’d told me earlier.”

Reluctantly, Reiner nodded. He charged at her again, fists poised and at the ready. He didn’t anticipate her counter move. Edna dropped herself to the ground and slid between his legs and forcefully grabbed onto his calves. With the force he’d put behind his charge, he began to fall.

He fell on top of her and they were both a mess of limbs and covered in dirt and burst into laughter. Edna untangled herself from him and pulled him into a tight hug. It was about time she initiated one.

“Alright, I’ll chalk that up as a win.” He hugged her back, blushing ear to ear. There were others around them but he didn’t care. He was blushing because he wasn’t used to affection. “You really like me, huh?”

“Of course I do.” Edna nuzzled him, starting to get up before either of them could be reprimanded by any onlooking officers.

Reiner joined her but couldn’t help himself from grabbing her hand and linking their fingers together.


End file.
